Brooklyn

The film Brooklyn premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year and it got so much buzz that I really wanted to see it.  The only way I could get a ticket was to see it in Ogden, about an hour away from my house, on a school night.  It was worth it!  I liked it so much that I wanted to see it again now that it is in wide release.  Marilyn and I went Saturday night and she liked it just as much as I did.  Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) is a young girl living in a small town in Ireland in the 1950s with no prospects for the future.  A priest arranges for her to emigrate to America and finds her a boarding house and a job in a department store in Brooklyn.  At first she is almost debilitated by homesickness but she eventually meets Tony (Emory Cohen), starts a course in bookkeeping, and begins to make a life for herself.  When a tragedy occurs, she goes back to Ireland for a visit.  She is viewed as a glamorous American in her small town, a young man (Domhnall Gleason) begins to pursue her, and her bookkeeping qualification lands her a job.  She must decide whether her home is in Ireland or Brooklyn.  It is a sweet and sentimental story and Saoirse Ronan gives an affecting performance.  She is simply luminous on screen.  Emory Cohen is incredibly endearing as Tony and I loved Julie Walters as Mrs. Kehoe, the no-nonsense owner of the boardinghouse, especially when she warns her boarders against being  "giddy girls."  Marilyn and I laughed and laughed at that because we have been accused of being giddy once or twice!  The cinematography is beautiful and I loved the use of light.  The scenes in Ireland before Eilis goes to America are all very dark and dreary but when she returns the scenes are dazzling.  I also loved all of the period costumes and vintage cars.  I definitely recommend this lovely film.

Note:  After Brooklyn premiered at Sundance, there was a bidding war for the distribution rights.  Fox Searchlight eventually won in one of the biggest deals to come out of Sundance.  Good stuff!